- Flay decay in Nigeria’s healthcare sector
Nigeria’s community pharmacists have called on the Federal government to impose sanctions on pharmaceutical companies and practitioners allegedly involved in illegal drug distribution practices within public hospitals, warning that the situation threatens the integrity of the nation’s healthcare sector.
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), in a statement signed by Ezeh Igwekamma, its National Chairman accused several Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) of flouting existing drug laws by permitting unregistered private pharmacy operators to run drug sales and distribution under Public–Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.
The ACPN listed several FHIs allegedly operating illegal PPP pharmacy models, including University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) Kano, National Hospital Abuja, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and several Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) in Makurdi, Umuahia, Jabi and Nguru.
Ezeh described the trend as “a persistent culture of disregard for the law,” alleging that some of these private operators function illegally with the tacit approval of hospital managements and regulatory agencies.
He faulted the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) for allegedly turning a blind eye while the violations flourish, calling it “a travesty of justice” that institutions mandated to uphold pharmaceutical standards have become enablers of infractions.
The chairman specifically criticised the ministry’s earlier experiment with a PPP model known as Medipool, describing it as an unlawful venture that blurred regulatory boundaries between public and private pharmaceutical operations.
He said the model created loopholes that private actors later exploited to dominate hospital drug supply chains, undermining the integrity of the public procurement process.
“The Medipool arrangement was a policy error that opened the door for the current wave of irregularities. Instead of strengthening institutional frameworks, it encouraged parallel systems that operate outside the law”, he said.
He argued that such alleged illegal practices undermine the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) system, a statutory model established under Decree 43 of 1989 (now Cap 252 LFN 2004) to ensure transparent, self-sustaining procurement and distribution of essential medicines in public hospitals.
“The DRF remains the most credible framework for managing public drug supplies. It was designed to ensure that pharmacists maintain full control of procurement, distribution and accountability in line with professional standards,” he said.
The ACPN Chairman noted that hospital Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors (MDs) have allegedly mismanaged DRF resources, resulting in drug shortages and stock-outs in many federal facilities.
According to the association, these arrangements breach multiple sections of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Act 2022, which stipulates that only registered pharmacies may store or dispense medicines, prohibits private pharmacies from operating within public health facilities, and mandates that all pharmacies be under the control of licensed superintendent pharmacists.
Ezeh also cited violations of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which requires transparency and competitive bidding in government contracts. He claimed that more than 20 pharmacy premises currently running under PPP models are not registered for such operations.
“One particularly aggressive company in Lagos has virtually taken over the pharmacy unit of a major teaching hospital, dropping the names of senior government officials to legitimise its activities”, he said.
The ACPN issued a warning to superintendent pharmacists whose licences are being used to cover such operations, giving them until the end of 2025 to regularise their status or face disciplinary action from the association and further regulatory sanctions in 2026
Beyond enforcement, the pharmacists’ body urged the government to address deeper structural gaps that drive irregularities in the health supply chain. It called for credit guarantees for local drug manufacturers, fair procurement processes, and protection of DRF accounts as legitimate working capital.
Ezeh said these steps are critical to achieving drug security, equitable access, and sustainability in Nigeria’s public health system.